Last year was certainly an eventful and rewarding year for Roedean School for Girls matriculant Zahraa Bodiat, who wrote matric and was chosen as a non-travelling reserve to present South Africa at the Olympics in water polo.
Bodiat told The Star that the Covid-19 pandemic almost dampened her year because many of the events matriculants looked forward to, such as a matric dance, were cancelled or postponed.
She, however, added that because she could not see her peers and classmates as much during their Grade 11 year, the final year of high school brought the Roedean Class of 2021 closer together.
Bodiat obtained seven distinctions in Afrikaans First Additional Language; English Home Language; History; Life Orientation; Life Sciences; Mathematics; Physical Science.
“Getting to play water polo again at the highest possible level was definitely a highlight and being a part of this Olympic experience. I’m thankful to my school who helped me manage that so well and I received a lot of support from my grade,” she said.
The former learner, who is on the national team, said she didn’t end up going to Japan because of her academic commitments and it would have been her first international tour, as her Grade 11 tours were cancelled because of the pandemic. Bodiat, however, said she trained with the rest of the team until the day they left for Japan.
“It was very difficult managing both school work and the Olympic team because I would be at camps all over the country every month, including Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha. It was very difficult and I’d often be finishing up school work while I’m at the camps during my breaks. There was also the pressure of matric on top of the pressure of wanting to make the Olympic team was a lot to handle,” she said.
Bodiat added that she had almost seven hours of training again but she managed to accomplish this with the assistance of her school and teachers.
“It was extremely hectic but very rewarding. It taught me time management and it’s opened up so many opportunities for me,” she said.
The national water polo player said has aspirations to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps by joining the healthcare profession and becoming a doctor after completing her tertiary education.
“My grandpa is a doctor and I really enjoy that field of work and I like helping people. I also think that studying medicine and the medical profession is always evolving and it’s never basic. I can continue doing research and learning,” the matriculant said.
The Star